I went to a talk by Margaret Wheatley on the subject of coherence in chaotic times. Some interesting ideas but several flaws. She started by inviting everyone to subscribe to a very negative picture of our current social state. Whilst for some people some of her observations may hold good it is clearly not true that everyone experiences the world in all the ways she described - I think her usual audience might be stressed out amenican businessmen for whom much of what she says probably resonates. The audience of sustainability minded people at this talk also seemed keen to lap up the doom laden scene she painted, which I think reflects very badly on our tendency in the 'environmental movement' to want things to be bad so that we feel justified.

There is nothing 'necessary' about her way of looking at the current social world - certainly there are lots of problems and everyone probably experiences some of them, but equally I think that everyone has something good in their lives and Ms Wheatley's approach tends to throw that baby out with the bathwater.

I have the feeling that I am living through a car crash that is being played out in slow motion around me.

We are all passengers in the car - mostly we are like the kids in the back without our seatbelts on who are watching in horror as Mum & Dad (Cameroon & Broon) up front are engaged in a furious argument about what colour to paint the kitchen and not looking where they are going, totally oblivous of the juggernaut heading straight towards us. We are travelling too fast to risk opening the doors and diving out - but maybe that would be the best option. We scream at the old folks to pay attention and change direction but to no avail. It is very nearly too late anyway - what should we do?

One option might be to take our chances and leap out - run for the hills with a stock of food and weapons to defend ourselves. Another choice would be to try and take control of the car by force - leap over the seat and wrestle the wheel out of dad's control, at the very least perhaps the struggle will make us veer off course; anyone up for joining a revolution? Anyone got a better idea?